Microelectrode For Microdroplet Activity: A Survey on Design

Discovery on every new technology has led us to a new era of technology, which nowadays has lots of study and research on microtechnology and nanotechnology. In both technologies, the most related device, which contributed many applications in different field, is Lab on a Chip (LoC). This chip is able to handle extremely small fluid volumes on the order nanoliters to picoliters. One of the famous study topics under this technology is microdroplet microfluidic. Basically, a lot of chemical or biology reaction occurs in such a small quantity, where this requirement drives us to the growth of LoC. There are a few methods to move and speed up the microdroplet movement such as electrowetting, dielectrophoresis, T-junction and flow focusing. Specifically, each method has its’ own application. We focus on the activity of microdroplet using electrowetting method where it was first discovered by Gabriel Lippmann on 1875 and it is still being studied until now. Electrowetting basic operation is by having the microdroplet activity based on the electric field generated from the active microelectrodes that are designed and fabricated on the glass or pcb substrate. The design of the microelectrode can affect the result of the microdroplet movement, direction, size and etc. In this work, a few comparisons on the effectiveness from different electrode shapes have been made.